How to Care for a Corn Plant That Is Browning

Written by Teo Spengler; Updated April 13, 2018

If the corn plant looks more like it hails from the tropics than the midwest, that's because it does. Corn plant is just one of the common names for Dracaena fragrans, a native of tropical Africa. It's also called Chinese money tree, happy plant and cornstalk Dracaena. As a houseplant, corn plant adds a tropical air to any room. The plant is quite specific in its cultural requirements, and it'll let you know if it isn't happy with its placement or care. How? Its leaves or leaf tips turn brown.

Dracaena Fragrans

The corn plant decorates many a home and apartment with its tall canes covered with rosettes of sword-shaped green leaves, some 2 feet long and 3 inches wide. In fact, it's been a popular, easy-to-care-for indoor houseplant in Europe for centuries, and arrived in the United States in the 1900s.

In its native Africa, the corn plant can grow to 20 feet tall or higher. It grows fragrant, ivory flowers in round heads, followed by red berries. If you live in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12, you can grow a corn plant outdoors and watch it grow. But as a houseplant, it usually stays between 4 and 6 feet tall and only rarely develops flowers or fruit.

Most container corn plants sold in commerce include multiple canes of varying lengths. Each cane may have multiple heads. The canes, straight and strong, are eye-catching and ornamental with their lovely green leaves.

Nurturing Your Corn Plant

A corn plant needs light and water, but not too much of either. Although corn plants can thrive in low-light rooms, they often lose the striping on their leaves and become one solid color. They prefer and are more attractive in a site with considerable indirect sunlight. The plant also requires water, but not too much. Be sure to select a container with multiple drainage holes and use well-draining soil. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

What happens if you put the plant in direct sunlight? Its leaves turn brown. Leaves also brown if you give your corn plant too much water, and you'll see leaf-tip browning if you forget to water for a few weeks. Corn plants love humidity, so you might spray the leaves with water or place the container on a large dish with pebbles and a little water.

Corn plants like air temperatures to stay somewhere above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. They are happiest in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees. If the temperature sinks below 50 degrees, you may see cold injury in the form of brown leaf margins.

Don't feed your corn plant. They are extremely sensitive to excess fluoride and boron, both of which can be found in some fertilizer. Fluoride is also found in tap water, so let the water sit overnight in a watering can to allow the fluoride to evaporate. Too much fluoride or boron and...you guessed it. The plant is burned and the leaf-tips turn brown.

About the Author

From Alaska to California, from France's Basque Country to Mexico's Pacific Coast, Teo Spengler has dug the soil, planted seeds and helped trees, flowers and veggies thrive. World traveler, professional writer and consummate gardener, Spengler earned a BA from U.C. Santa Cruz, a law degree from Berkeley's Boalt Hall, and an MA and MFA from San Francisco State. She currently divides her life between San Francisco and southwestern France.

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Spengler, Teo. "How to Care for a Corn Plant That Is Browning." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-corn-plant-browning-23212.html. 13 April 2018.

Spengler, Teo. (2018, April 13). How to Care for a Corn Plant That Is Browning. Home Guides | SF Gate. Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-corn-plant-browning-23212.html

Spengler, Teo. "How to Care for a Corn Plant That Is Browning" last modified April 13, 2018. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-corn-plant-browning-23212.html

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